Beginning Tuesday, March 15, WVU Health System will relax its masking requirement for vaccinated employees in non-patient and non-public areas. This applies only to fully vaccinated employees. If you have received an exemption from getting the COVID vaccine, you must wear an N95 respirator per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulations. Visitors will continue to be required to wear masks.

  • If you work in an area with direct patient care, you must continue wearing a mask even if you are vaccinated.
  • If you work in an administrative office at a hospital or clinic, or an offsite office with no patient care, you will not have to wear a mask.
  • If you work in a clinical-support area at a hospital that has no direct patient contact, such as a lab, you will not have to wear a mask while working in that area.
  • If you are at a hospital or clinic and in a public space, such as a lobby, waiting area, cafeteria or gift shop, you must wear a mask.

Additionally, on March 15 meetings will no longer be limited to 12 people.

On Saturday, April 16 – the date on which the public health emergency ends, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – WVU Health System will begin taking a more passive approach to screening our visitors by simply placing signs at our hospital and clinic entrances. More details about the placement of the signage will be provided to hospital leaders in the near future.

After April 16, the ongoing need for employee and visitor masking will be evaluated, as well as the current limits on the number of visitors per patient. The need for people with exemptions to continue wearing an N95 respirator will also be reevaluated.

WVU Health System employees can visit Connect for more information. (Note: Connect is accessible via password only.)